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Peerie​-​Fool

from In Praise of Crows (2021) by Bob Leslie

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about

Being half-Orcadian, and, as I mention above, a fan of supernatural folk songs, I was overjoyed to come across this Orkney mixture of Rumplestiltskin and Bluebeard. There was a lot of detail to squeeze into a song, but I think I just about managed it! Google the title for the full story.

lyrics

Peerie-Fool, spin an weave
Fur a princess tae deceive
Spinners, spin, an teasers, tease
Thee neem she’ll nivver chance hid!
Maak the threed, spin fur yer life
Seun Ah’ll hae whit ne’er wis mine
Keep the cloot an win the wife
Play the fiddle, dance hid!

Queen’s dowters in a giant’s lair
Tae weave his wool tae cloot sae fair
The trows cam knockin at the door
But twa turned them away
Withoot their help, they lost their hides
The third the peerie fowk let bide
An asked them wance they were inside
Whit favour they wid pay

A yellow-heided peerie bern
Then asked whit wark she wantid deun
A trade instead o payment taen
Her hert or guess his neem
Tae weave her threed he made a vow
An took the wool back tae his knowe
Aa through the night worked every trow
Tae help him win the game

An owld wife tae the princess caem
Tae tell her o the trow’s real neem
The princess thowt tae play a game
When the bern caem near
“Ah think thee neem is Tooriebeuy”
Peerie-Fool, he jumped fir joy
“Or is it maybe Bobopoy?”
He’s won her, that wis clear

But laughter turned tae rage an pain
When he fand oot she kent his neem
“Oh, Peerie-Fool, Ah’m won the game!”
He cursed an ran away
The cloot wis piled inside the door
It covered every inch o floor
The giant tellt her “Weave nae more,
Thoo’llt live anither day.”

The princess funnd her sisters’ skin
Pat skin and boady back again
A muckle caisie they hid in
Alang wi half his gair
She covered them wi grass sae high
Sae they escaped the giant’s eye
Said ‘twas a gift tae feed the kye
Her mither held sae dear

When thoo returns just een mair load
Thoo’llt hae tae kerry up the road
An then I swear tae man an Goad
Thee wark will aa be deun
The wife hid in the caisie-oh
The giant geed whar she wid go
Whar watter biled an mighty blows
Laid him deid on the ground

Peerie-Fool, span an wove
The threed that wid a giant claithe
But then she did deceive them baithe
An bravely she did chance hid!
Peerie-Fool in shame has fled
The giant at her door lies deid
An wi his gold sae weel she’ll wed
Play the fiddle, dance hid!

credits

from In Praise of Crows (2021), released March 15, 2021

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Bob Leslie Glasgow, UK

Bob Leslie's music is now available on a "NAME YOUR OWN PRICE" basis!
****************
“I can think of no other songwriter who has mined this rich vein
with such lyrical ease and with no mean ear for melody. ”
Alan Reid, Battlefield Band ... more

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